The Snaparazzi's* Back!

Yes friends, the snaparazzi's back. I have a camera again!

A few months back, I posted Techie Gadgets Gone Awry about my defective Canon camera which I brought to Canon for repair on December 19, 2005. As the service acknowledgement receipt said the repair period is fourteen (14) working days, I didn't make any follow up with Canon within the period - makes a lot of sense, right? And even if January 11 is the 14th working day, I didn't make a follow up until the following week.

It was only then when I realized how difficult it was to get through their customer service hotline. Wow, it was like calling a radio station two decades ago. (Okay, okay. Yes, I called radio stations and once, even won four premier screening tickets of The Freshman starring Matthew Broderick and Marlon Brando. On another occasion, I even won a cassette of a Barbie's Cradle album. Okay, enough digression.)

Going back to Canon, it was sooo difficult to get through the line. Still, I was very patient with them the entire January. It was only when February came and I realized I have an upcoming event, a wedding, and I needed a camera. Then came many unfulfilled promises from Canon customer service reps, that they would call me if the replacement part arrives, once the loan unit shipment arrives, etc. Not once did they make good on their promise to call back and so I had to endure wasting valuable time dialling their incessantly unavailable line. It was so tiring and frustrating.

And so the wedding proceeded with me, camera-less. I decided I would have to see the end of this and started getting pushy, dropping my friendly, understanding disposition whenever I'm relating to Canon. And so on March 1, Ash Wednesday, I started making effort to call Canon at 8:45 am. After minutes of frustration, I decided I need to take this matter to the appropriate authorities. I dug up my Consumer Act and implementing rules materials and reviewed the procedure for filing a complaint with the Department of Trade and Industry. After reading the rules, I realizd how cumbersome the process will be so I thought of another way. Why not give Canon another chance?

Thus, I clicked on my browser and looked for their webpage. It turns out that the Canon Marketing Philippines website has an online inquiry corner. And so, I wrote an assertive and strongly worded email, making a litany of all the inconveniences inflicted on my and the inefficiency of their personnel as well as their system in handling customer service matters. I ended my email with the line, "if you do not immediately attend to my concern, I will bring this matter to the appropriate administrative agencies and let others know of your inefficiency."

Within the same day I sent my email, I got a call from them telling me that I can pick up my replacement unit anytime. The following morning, at 8 am, I claimed my new Canon Ixus i zoom - a 5.0 megapixel camera with superior features as my old Ixus II. The procedure to claim was not without glitch as there was an initial confusion as to whether the unit was a mere loan unit or a replacement but the confusion was sorted out. Before leaving, I thanked the customer service representative and apologized for losing my cool at some point. She said she perfectly understands my predicament.

And so, I am writing this blog to bring resolution to my earlier post, Techie Gadgets Gone Awry, not to let others know of Canon's inefficiency but to share my experience about this consumer rights-related incident. These are the things I've learned from this incident:

1. When something goes wrong with your gadget, always consult the manual first to do some troubleshooting. In case the manual doesn't give you a solution, look at the warranty card to find out the authorized service centers or check the phone directory or the web for the contact info of the gadget's manufacturers. Since most gadgets are not locally manufacured, it is not wise to go back to the seller as they may not always acquainted with information on how to have your gadget repaired.

My uncle actually got into trouble because he gave his defective camera to the seller who did not inform him that Canon is actualy doing replacement of the defective CCDs for free. The seller is now asking him to pay service fees and it is possible that warraties may be void if the gadget is "touched" by an unauthorized repairmen.

2. Find out as much information on the problem so you understand what is exactly wrong with your gadget. This way, you will be able to take the necessary precautions so as to prevent thet same thing happening again.

In my case, the problem was really what you call a "factory defect" since there was a defective part which caused the product recall of many camera models sold within a specified period. In fairness to Canon, the defective CCDs were manufactured by Sony and sold not only to Canon but also to other camera manufacturers. My complaint against Canon was really for the inefficient way of handling clients since they could have foreseen the influx of customers wanting their camera fixed. The least they could have done is properly train their customer service representatives and upgrade their phones to accommodate many callers since these are the only things they can have control of. I perfectly understand that they do not have control when the shipment for the replacement parts or units will arrive as for sure, they are also relying on the promises of the REAL culprit - the manufacturer of the defective CCD - on when they can make good on their efforts to remedy the situation. At the end of the day, the whole thing is really a hazard of technology. These gadget manufacturers put so much of their reputation at risk by releasing a product in the market while consumers like me are putting their money at stake by buying these expensive gadgets. Well, the nightmare is over for me, and probably, it is beginning to end in case of Canon with the arrival, I heard, of replacement parts or units. Lesson learned for them, I hope. At the end of the day and despite the strongly worded email, I would still give them a passing mark for handling this incident (at least in my case) - at least they did not turn their backs on the consumers and left them holding the bag. Though not perfect, they attended to the customers by offerring to replace defective cameras. Overall, I'd say they are good at damage control and yes, they have convinced me to trust them again.

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* I just like the word snaparazzi, but no, I don't take pictures of celerities. :)

Techie gadgets gone awry

If you own a digital still or video camera, read this!

Have you ever sat inside a service center's waiting area and found yourself looking at almost half of the people in the same room clutching a defective gadget that has uncanny similarities with the one in your hand?

I have.

I am an owner of a Canon Ixus II, 3.2 megapixel digital camera, one of my prized possessions and well-loved techie toy. It has accompanied me to my journeys here and abroad the past few years since I purchased it from Tony Leung (not the actor) in Hongkong in August 22, 2003. Not a single precious moment in any of my gatherings with friends, weddings, baptisms and any other significant event escaped my ever reliable Canon. And so, when I decided to finally bring to life the beautiful fondant cake I've lengthily imagined myself making, I just knew my good old camera will surely capture the moment my masterpiece will come into existence, ready to be shown to friends and family.

And so on October 9, 2005, a Sunday, I carefully loaded my newly charged lithium ion battery pack into my camera to take a snap at my two-days-in-the-making apple walnut fondant cake, adorned with my hand-crafted fondant flowers, pretty as it sat on top of our living room center table. However, much to my shock and horror, my camera's view screen showed a mangled, blurred cake in a dark background even if the living room was bathed in sunlight. I took a few shots and I'm sharing these hideous pictures with you here.

I would have ran straight to Canon that very same day to have my camera fixed but I soon found out that Canon cameras are serviced only at the head office of Canon Marketing Philippines, Inc. at Marvin Plaza at the corner of Pasong Tamo and dela Rosa Streets in Makati City, whose office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays only. Add to that, I was informed over the phone that they charge a minimum service fee of P1,200. I had no other choice, I had to schedule my trip to Canon along with other errands since my office is in Ortigas, So, one leave of absence and more than two months after the discovery of the defect, I was finally able to go to Canon.

It came as a bit of a shock to see all those people holding "clones" of my camera. While at least 12 people were ahead of me in the queue, it didn't take long for me to be called. Apparently, most of the camera owners were complaining about the same problem and Canon already had a ready solution. The customer service representative (CSR) declared that my precious Ixus II's CCD is busted. CCD or charge-coupled device is that part of the camera which is instrumental in capturing images. Inquiring further, I found out that models similar to mine are the subject of a product recall wherein Canon undertakes to replace all defective parts of the camera free of chage for service and parts. I wonder why I never came across any ad informing Canon owners of this product recall. Nonetheless, I found out further, though the CSR was quite reluctant to answer, that Canon camera models Ixus, Powershot and the digicams (practically their entire line of digital cameras) manufactured between 2002 and 2004 have defective CCDs and are covered by the "product recall" campaign.

And so I left the service center with the assurance that, upon arrival of the replacement for the defective part, I will get back my camera. But since I do not want to spoil my Christmas, I have resigned myself to the idea that it will take quite a while before I get it back. I will be camera-less for Christmas, camera-less for my friend's wedding on the 27th, camera-less during get-together with friends and camera-less for the New Year.

But before anyone of you condemn Canon and expect their product engineers' heads to roll or swear you'll never lay your hands on any Canon camera ever again, I came across numerous internet articles which actually say that defective CCDs are pervasive and the problem is not limited to Canon. Apparently, most digital cameras in the market, manufactured between 2002 and 2004 have defective CCDs. (For a comprehensive list of these digital cameras, please click here.) Most camera manufacturers have offered its customers free repair and parts replacement even if the camera is no longer within warranty. As for Canon, the CSR advised me to ask my friends who are also owners of Canon digicams to pay them a visit only if they have discovered malfunctions in the camera. Personally, I'd advise my friends to go visit Canon at a time convenient and when they still have no immediate need to take snapshots of precious moments. Besides, it seems that there is a worldwide demand for replacement CCDs so better be in queue as early as possible can.

So what exactly is wrong with these CCDs? To have an idea what is exactly wrong with these techie thingies, it is important to understand what really is a CCD. Surfing the net, I quickly found several articles describing what CCDs are. Succinctly and in very plain terms, CCDs or image sensors are what a film is to your good old "analog" camera. CCDs have been in use not only for digital cameras but also for telescopes, scanners, bar code readers, digital still and video cameras, even some PDAs, and other similar gadgets which require in its operation the capture and storage of data. Unlike film cameras, CCDs are more sensitive to light such that it can capture images under low light conditions or without flash. However, it is interesting to know that in terms of megapixels, film cameras are comparably bigger in megapixels than digital cameras.

As usual, Wikipedia has an article on CCDs. However, it does not mention anything about the supposedly pervasive CCD problem in digicams as discussed in more specialized websites.

You may also view an article in computerworld.com on charge-coupled device (CCD) by clicking here.

For more on how a digital camera works, click here. But if you want a nerdy explanation, here is where you should look.

I found this website explaining in detail what causes the problems in these defective cameras and I was amazed to see samples of images taken using these cameras which are very much like the images I took with mine. Not only that, I also read that reports of problems with CCDs stated to surface at around late September with a significant increase in incident reports at the early part of October 2005 - almost exactly the same time I discovered the defects in my camera! Apparently, according to the article, the manufacturer of the defective image sensors is Sony (please see service advisory). Naturally, it has the greatest number of affected products. Incidentally, Sony's free repair offer will only be applicable until October 7, 2007. Several theories have been submitted to solve the mystery of the defective image sensors ranging from use of inferior epoxy chip packages rather than ceramic chic packages on the CCDs to weak or faulty wiring. Be sure to check the "What caused the problem?" portion at the bottom of the page if you want to read more on the theories. I tried reading it but my aptitude for the applied sciences hinders me from narrating what these theories are.

A couple of hundred days without my digital camera, I am no longer in a state of disappointment and disbelief. Waking up one day and finding out that my digital camera is already a dud has been a nightmare considering that since I purchased it at the outset of the digicam boom, it was still quite pricey. On the other hand, discovering imperfections of technology is actually like waking up from a dream of having everything easy, convenient and without compromise. I was one of those over-eager techies who couldn't wait to get my hands on the "gadget of the future" and an imperfect technology is the price that people like me has to pay. Oh well, as with anything, we can always aspire for better things. I would have blamed all concerned camera or CCD manufacturers for putting in the market these gadgets whose defects they must have been absolutely sure to manifest at a certain time. A classic case of hidden defects in products. I just hope that these manufacturers are not aware of these defects prior to putting them in the market. If they are, the gamble evidently paid off for them, as there are now more digital camera owners than film camera owners, the numbers growing at an exponential rate. The defects on cameras have not affected their sales at all as a lot of owners, possibly due to lack of time like myself, have been content with having the cameras repaired and its defective parts replaced, free of charge even beyond warranty. For this, I commend them for taking this action. However, everything had been put to a hush, so that thousands or probably even millions of digital camera owners worldwide are unaware of the ticking bombs right in the palm of their hands. As long a they do not know, we can be sure that more memories will be uncaptured and forever visually lost. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is a perfect example of something that is incapable of pecuniary estimation.

As for me, despite assurances that the CCD problem is no longer present in recent models, I am still very much apprehensive of acquiring any new devices with cameras. Well, I guess I just have to wait for my resuscitated Canon Ixus II and hope that it never fails me again.

If you own a defective Canon camera, you may call Canon Marketing (Philippines), Inc. at 884-9000 local 9121 or 9128 between 8 am to 5pm, Mondays to Fridays.